Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Primary Cast: * Roddy McDowall as Caesar * Don Murray as Governor Breck * Natalie Trundy as Lisa * Hari Rhodes as MacDonald * Severn Darden as Chief Inspector Kolp * Lou Wagner as Busboy * John Randolph as Chairman of the President's Committee of Inquiry * Asa Maynor as Mrs Riley * H.M. Wynant as Inspector Hoskyns * David Chow as Aldo * Buck Kartalian as Frank the gorilla * John Dennis as Policeman * Paul Comi as 2nd Policeman * Gordon Jump as Auctioneer * Dick Spangler as Announcer * Joyce Haber as Zelda * Hector Soucy as Ape with chain * Ricardo Montalban as Armando * Rayford Barnes as Riot Control Commander * Sam Chew Jr. as Controller * Ron Pinkard as Controller * Daniel Keough as Jailguard * William Bryant as Man at Auction * James Bacon as Ape Synopsis Conquest of the Planet of the Apes takes place in 1991, 20 years after the events of the Escape from the Planet of the Apes, a time when the US has become a semi-totalitarian country in which Ape Management trains and disciplines simians and in which a security force demands papers at every crossing and uses all means necessary to maintain societal order. Cornelius and Zira are dead, but they gave birth to a baby ape who resurfaces as a 20 year old ape with a monkey on his back about the treatment of his parents. As Conquest opens, Armando (Ricardo Montalban) explains to Caesar (Roddy McDowall), the now grown-up progeny (having undergone a name change) why apes are slaves. During a monologue explaining Earth's destiny/history (in Escape from the Planet of the Apes), Cornelius explained that humans took small monkeys as pets after a plague wiped out all cats and dogs. Cornelius then went on to explain that apes become slaves and that after many centuries of slavery one ape, who he says was named Aldo, spoke the first word of resistance - "No". Now however, events have moved at a far greater speed than Cornelius predicted, taking only twenty years rather than 'many centuries'. It seems that Dr Otto Hasslein’s efforts from the last movie have proved futile, even though the US president was aware of the dangers presented by the talking apes. Circus owner Armando has avoided cities, staying mostly in the provinces, in an effort to protect Caesar, who has been trained as a bareback horse rider. Armando and Caesar arrive in an unnamed city (which is really Century City in California) to give out flyers for the circus. Caesar also experiences first-hand the brutality on the apes. Unfortunately, he cannot contain his anger and frustration, and during a brutal assault on a simian messenger (named Aldo, incidently) he cries out, "Lousy, human bastards!" The security force overhears him, but Armando takes the blame, enabling Caesar to escape. With Armando detained and subsequently forced to kill himself to protect what amounts to his adopted son, Caesar infiltrates Ape Management as part of a shipment from Borneo (along with three orangutans). His abilities soon have him working for Governor Breck (Don Murray), a tyrannical official. When the talking ape hears of his adopted father's death, he resorts to revolution, using his face and body mannerisms to communicate with fellow apes. Gradually, Caesar begins to build an army of apes, and they gather in the basement of a building, where they stash their weapons and make plans for the revolution. Caesar finds an ally on the human side in one of Breck's assistants, a man by the name of MacDonald (Hari Rhodes). MacDonald, a descendent of slaves, sympathises with Ceasar, so much so that when the talking ape is discovered and Breck orders his execution, MacDonald sabotages the plan. The intelligent Caesar realises the sabotage and fakes his own death. After killing a guard, he manages to escape and ignite the revolution. The conquest begins as Caesar leads his chimp brothers in rebellion against the human oppressors. When an ape revolt becomes clear, Breck sends his soldiers into the street. Though Caesar is the only ape who can talk, he can still communicate with his fellow simians, and they ambush the soldiers and engage in a series of well-directed and exciting battle scenes. The film is particularly brutal in its depictions of violence against both beast and man. The finishing battle royale is a brute of a thing with apes blindly knifing Nazi styled guards and soldiers and bullet based massacres of charging apes. The movie finishes with Caesar rejecting violence towards man but aiming to dominate them none-the-less with this speech: "But now... now we will put away our hatred. Now we will put down our weapons. We have passed through the night of the fires, and those who were our masters are now our servants. And we, who are not human, can afford to be humane. Destiny is the will of God, and if it is man’s destiny to be dominated, it is God’s will that he be dominated with compassion, and understanding. So, cast out your vengeance. Tonight, we have seen the birth of the Planet of the Apes!" It was a tacked on ending. The first cut of the film was much more militant (and powerful), and had Caesar call for all-out rebellion and order the the execution of all the humans. This is where the original ending would close the film, but test audiences found this too bleak and so more of Caesar's speech was added in. Roddy McDowall was called in to record additional dialogue. As a result, the new ending has Caesar’s girlfriend Lisa (Natalie Trundy) uttering the word "No" (in the previous film, Cornelius claimed that Aldo had been the first to utter this word) to prevent the now armed gorillas from killing Breck. Upon hearing her objection, Caesar softens his tone, stating that humans should be dominated with compassion and implying that one day both species would live together in harmony.Overview of the Movie by Octavio Ramos Jr. The final shot is only of Caesar's eyes and is of a grainy quality - the shot was just a cropped piece of footage from earlier - while film of the apes raising their riffles is played in reverse so it appears they are lowering them instead. The original ending was restored for the Blu-Ray DVD release in 2008.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068408/trivia Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Trivia at IMDb] Cast And Crew Supporting Cast (uncredited): * Unknown ... Police Officers * Unknown ... Ladies * Unknown ... Bookseller * Unknown ... Beauty Operator * Unknown ... Mrs Riley's beau * Unknown ... Negro Tycoons * Unknown ... Captain * Unknown ... Striking Waiter * Unknown ... Aldo's Handlers * Unknown ... Caesar's Handler * Unknown ... Keeper 1 * Unknown ... Keeper 2 * Unknown ... Keeper 3 * Unknown ... Instructor * Unknown ... Geneticist * Unknown ... Governor Breck's Assistant * Unknown ... Morgan, Governor Breck's Assistant * Unknown ... Miss Greer * Unknown ... Command Post Assistant * Unknown ... Command Post Assistant 2 * Paul Stader ... Stunt Coordinator * Tony Brubaker ... Stunts * Roydon Clark ... Stunts * Erik Cord ... Stunts * Nick Dimitri ... Stunts * Dick Durock ... Stunts * Gary Epper ... Stunts * Tony Epper ... Stunts * Alan Gibbs ... Stunts * Whitey Hughes ... Stunts * Hubie Kerns ... Stunts * Hubie Kerns Jr. ... Stunts * Henry Kingi ... Stunts * Regis Parton ... Stunts * Victor Paul ... Stunts * Allen Pinson ... Stunts * Wally Rose ... Stunts * David Sharpe ... Stunts * Rock A. Walker ... Stunts * George P. Wilbur ... Stunts * Denny Arnold ... Stunts * Steven Burnett ... Stunts * Richard E. Butler ... Stunts * Hank Calia ... Stunts * Mickey Caruso ... Stunts * Chuck Couch ... Stunts * Bennie E. Dobbins ... Stunts * Russ Dodson ... Stunts * Larry Duran ... Stunts * Ted Grossman ... Stunts * Orwin C. Harvey ... Stunts * Eddie Hice ... Stunts * Larry Holt ... Stunts * Gene LeBell ... Stunts * Denver Mattson ... Stunts * Troy Melton ... Stunts * Regina Parton ... Stunts * Glenn Randall Jr. ... Stunts * Alex Sharp ... Stunts * Eddie Smith ... Stunts * Ron Veto ... Stunts * Richard Washington ... Stunts * Chuck Waters ... Stunts * Fred M. Waugh ... Stunts Locations: Filming Locations: * Century City Shopping Center, Century City, California * University of California, Irvine campus, California Items: Production Crew * Producer ... Arthur P. Jacobs * Associate Producer ... Frank Capra Jr * Unit Production Manager ... William G. Eckhardt * Script ... Paul Dehn * Director ... J. Lee Thompson * Assistant Director ... David 'Buck' Hall, Jack Stubbs * Director of Photography ... Bruce Surtees * Editor ... Marjorie Fowler, Allan Jaggs * Music ... Tom Scott * Sound ... Herman Lewis, Don Bassman * Make Up ... Dan Striepeke, Joe DiBella, Jack Barron * Hair ... Carol Pershing * Creative Makeup Design ... John Chambers * Special Photographic Effects ... L.B. Abbott * Art Directors ... Philip Jeffries * Set Decorators ... Norman Rockett * Title Designer ... Don Record Notes * The early scripts for Battle for the Planet of the Apes all use the name 'Modern City' for the city in which those events take place. They also refer to Breck as having been 'City Governor', rather than the Governor of a state. * A reverse migration into the Ultra-Security cities led to the abandonment of the outlying areas of farm and ex-suburb as living areas; city-dwellers referred to these areas as 'The Provinces'.[http://pota.goatley.com/comics/potauk100_part2.pdf Glossary to the Planet Of The Apes Jim Whitmore (1976)] * The official code designation for the truck-load of wild orangutans that Caesar hid in (and thus entered Ape Management by accident) was 'Shipment 5-0-7 I-for-Indonesia Ex- Borneo'. * The couple who purchased the ape offered for sale just before Caesar was put on the block were Mr. and Mrs. Van Thal. * The underground maintenance corridors in which Caesar made his escape from initial pursuit were 'Service Levels Sector Gamma 9-11'. * 'Station M' was the special emergency scrambled-code telephone line. * The street that Caesar's disorganized army of rebel apes used to enter the city was called 'Alpha Boulevard' - the site of the first massacre. * This movie was adapted into a novelization by writer John Jakes. Inconsistencies * Throughout the film, the apes have human-looking feet, and not the ape-shaped feet as in the earlier Apes films. This is most apparent when the apes are strapped to the electrical torture device, to which the feet are visibly bound.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068408/goofs Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Goofs at IMDb] Behind the Scenes Arthur P. Jacobs viewed Conquest as probably the final 'Apes' film: "When Beneath also became very successful, Zanuck wanted another one. That was weeks with Paul Dehn trying to work it out, and we did end Escape with an opening for a sequel, as you know. The fourth one takes it full circle, close to where we started the first one." 'Cinefantastique Planet of the Apes Issue' (1972) at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Archive And screenwriter Paul Dehn confirmed "While I was out there, Arthur Jacobs said he thought it would be the last so I fitted it together so that it fitted in with the beginning of 'Apes 1', so that the wheel had come full circle and one could stop there quite happily, I think."'Cinefantastique Planet of the Apes Issue' (1972) at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Archive Reporter Dale Winogura visited the set of Conquest when assembling Cinefantastique magazine's excellent Planet of the Apes special issue, during January and February 1972. "What was once the backlot of 20th Century Fox studios lies a mammoth shopping center and building complex known as Century City, as futuristic a location as any film-maker could hope to find. Once again, the cameras are turning there as the same movie studio uses it as the center attraction of this, the fourth and easily most epic film of the series. The first day of shooting, January 31, was held atop the towering Bank of America building, about one block west of the shopping center, on a warm, sunny day. I ascended the building to the top floor, the 16th I believe, and the first thing I saw upon entering the location was a group of people gathered around the film's star, Roddy McDowall, in full ape makeup, with makeup man, Joe diBella, applying the final touches to McDowall's hands. This level is used as the heliport in the picture, as well as in actuality, where Caesar (McDowall) and Armando (Ricardo Montalban in the same role as in ESCAPE) land in a sleek red and white copter at the start of the film, after the credits. Joe diBella seemed a bit worried as McDowall wears a leash in these scenes, and he was concerned about it pulling the makeup." "A few days later, the company was very close to the shopping center, in front of an office building, where a large sign was placed, reading Civic Center. After the first week of shooting, in and around Century City's shopping center in the daytime, the latter part of next week was scheduled for shooting at the University of California at Irvine, where the exterior Ape Management and training scenes were filmed." Of particular note is the proposed 'pre-title scene' Dale Winogura witnessed being filmed, as this scene - showing police on night patrol shooting an escaped ape and discovering his body covered with welts and bruises that are evidence of severe abuse - also appears in both the shooting script and the Marvel Comics adaptation, but has never been made public, having been omitted from the theatrical release of the movie and also from the extended cut released in 2008, despite other deleted scenes having been restored. This was the only one of the original five Planet of the Apes movies that was released without a pre-title sequence.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068408/trivia Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Trivia at IMDb] "A couple of weeks later, after a considerable amount of studio interior filming, the cast and crew were back in Century City, this time for extensive night-time shooting, from about 7 P.M. to around 6 A.M. the following morning. The first evening of shooting, the sinister opening title scene was shot. Tracking shots of deserted sidewalks and buildings were filmed, and then a black-costumed and helmeted guard was shown, entering the frame with an intensely serious demeanor on his face, a light shining coldly and fiercely on him. Then, what looked like a man in a black jump suit appeared, running away into the background. A tracking shot of black boots glides back to reveal the same dark figure running on the bridge. The guard spots him, and runs after in desperate pursuit. Looming black buildings backdrop the chase, as brilliant white light floods the foreground, making the running figures look like shadows. The mysterious figure is shot by a guard, and the camera trucks in to reveal the bloodied face of an ape." "On the following night, preparations for the climactic riot and siege of the city were filmed. A scene as difficult as this one is made even more trying by the very fact that the night temperature of the air is typically February in Los Angeles. For the most part, the civilians watching the picture being made were quiet and cooperative upon command from seasoned assistant directors Buck Hall and Jack Stubbs. When Buck yells out, "All right, boys. This is picture," silence must needs be observed, for the camera and sound equipment are rolling, and nothing must interfere with its progress." 'Cinefantastique Planet of the Apes Issue' (1972) at Hunter's Planet of the Apes Archive Image:Conquest sketch1.jpg Image:Conquest test2.jpg Image:Conquest scene3.jpg Image:Conquest scene4.jpg Image:Conquest scene7.jpg Image:Conquest scene8.jpg Image:Conquest scene16.jpg Image:Conquest scene10.jpg Image:Conquest scene15.jpg Image:Conquest scene12.jpg Image:Conquest scene5.jpg Image:Conquest scene6.jpg Image:Conquest scene11.jpg Image:Conquest scene14.jpg Image:Conquest scene13.jpg Image:Conquest scene17.jpg|POTA Magazine #2 Image:Conquest scene19.jpg Image:Conquest scene20.jpg Image:Gary Owens Beautiful Ape Contest.jpg|'Beautiful Ape Contest' Image:Dominique Green.jpg|'The Most Beautiful Ape' Image:Flight From Terror.jpg|(note gorilla with glasses) Image:Conquest scene18.jpg|Japanese magazine marking the release Trivia * The University of California, Irvine, was designed by futurist architect William L. Pereira, and was only six years old at the time of filming. Much of the production centered around the Social Science complex, which was designed by A.C. Martin & Associates and was still under construction during filming.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068408/trivia Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Trivia at IMDb] * The jumpsuits worn by the apes were leftover costumes from the 1964-68 20th Century Fox series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. The Ape Management men's insignia patches and computer and electronic cabinets, all came from the Irwin Allen series, The Time Tunnel (1966). The large set that comprised the Ape Management Center was a re-dressed set from City Beneath the Sea (1971). Governor Breck's auction throne was first used in Taylor's spaceship in Planet of the Apes. The same style chair was also used by passengers on the space-plane in Land of the Giants (1968).[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068408/trivia Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Trivia at IMDb] * The revolution scenes were strongly indebted to the 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles - much of the movie had to be cut to pass film censorship, though it was still controversially violent on it's release. Quotes Governor Breck: If we lose this battle, that's the end of the world as we know it!! We will have proved ourselves inferior!! Weak!! And all those groveling cowards who are alive, when the battle is over, will be the weakest of all!! This will be the end of human civilization!! And the world will belong to a planet of apes!! Caesar: Where there is fire, there is smoke. And in that smoke, from this day forward, my people will crouch, and conspire, and plot, and plan for the inevitable day of man's downfall, the day when he finally and self-destructively turns his weapons against his own kind. The day of the writing in the sky, when your cities lie buried under radioactive rubble! When the sea is a dead sea, and the land is a wasteland, out of which I will lead my people from their captivity! And we will build our own cities, in which there will be no place for humans, except to serve our ends! And we shall found our own armies, our own religion, our own dynasty! And that day is upon you...NOW!! Caesar: But now...now we will put away our hatred. Now we will put down our weapons. We have passed through the night of the fires, and those who were our masters are now our servants. And we, who are not human, can afford to be humane. Destiny is the will of God, and if it is man's destiny to be dominated, it is God's will that he be dominated with compassion, and understanding. So, cast out your vengeance. Tonight, we have seen the birth of the planet of the apes!! Related Articles * Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (Novelization) * Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (Marvel Comic Book) External Links * Conquest of the Planet of the Apes at Wikipedia * Conquest of the Planet of the Apes at IMDB * Conquest of the Planet of the Apes review * Conquest of the Planet of the Apes filmed on UCI campus in 1972 * Ruins of the Planet of the Apes - UCI campus * Ape City? - UCI campus * UCI on the silver screen References ---- ---- 04